Qutb Shahi Women Shaped Politics, Administration

Hyderabad:Women of the Qutb Shahi dynasty played a major role in shaping the political, social and cultural history of the region, despite their contributions being largely overshadowed in royal chronicles, said historian and museum professional Fatima Husna.

Speaking at the ‘Hayat Aur Hookumat: The Women Who Built Golconda’ talk at the Qutb Shahi Heritage Park on Sunday, Fatima said women of the Golconda dynasty did not have dedicated court biographers. Their contributions are often found only in the margins of royal chronicles or preserved through oral traditions.

Fatima explained that Hayat Bakshi Begum is the most remarkable woman figure among the royalty of Golconda. To Hyderabad's socio-religious fabric, Hayat Bakshi's contribution is the installation of Bibi ka Allam, which is now revered by thousands.

The memory of this installation lies in a lore involving Sultan Abdullah's well-being, showing the love and dedication of a mother. To celebrate the first shave of her son, she built a village nine miles to the east of Hyderabad — with a sarai, masjid and bowli that still stand — Hayathnagar. The ornamentation on her tomb is a sign of her revered position.

During her time, food distribution was practised on a very large scale. It was said that food was distributed so generously that it became difficult to find beggars in the city.

She was married to her cousin, Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah. He died at the age of 34, leaving Hayat Bakshi Begum and their 12-year-old son, Abdullah Qutb Shah, the next Sultan of Golconda. Since Abdullah was a minor, a regency council was established, with Hayat Bakshi Begum as the driving force behind it.

Hayat Bakshi Begum also faced two major threats from the Mughals during her lifetime. The first came in 1636, when the emperor Shah Jahan approached the Deccan. Knowing that Golconda did not have the military strength to face the might of the Mughals, Hayat Bakshi Begum advised her son Abdullah to accept the deed of submission offered by Shah Jahan.

However, Abdullah was soon unable to pay the large amount demanded by the Mughals. In 1656, Aurangzeb, who was then the Mughal prince in charge of the Deccan, approached Golconda.

She travelled to Aurangzeb's camp, met him personally and requested him to spare her son and the kingdom of Golconda. In return, she offered one crore rupees as war indemnity.

The historian said that during the Battle of Talikota. that broke the strength of the Vijayanagara Empire, in 1565, it was the women who became the diplomatic foundation of the grand alliance — one of the material evidence of which is the grave of Bibi Jamal, as Queen consort next to her husband Sultan Ibrahim Quli Qutub Shah Wali.

Khulsum Agha, the mother of the sixth Qutb Shahi sultan, shows influence in the royal court, with the inscription deciphered during the Nizam's era showing that the Ma Sahiba tank (Masab Tank) was constructed by her.

Even the artists during the Qutb Shahi period played a vital role, and their tombs are present in the seven-tomb complex of Premamati and Taramati.